ADSactly World - Authorities close their mouths to Belarusians
For exactly one year residents of the Belarusian city of Brest are protesting against the construction of a battery factory near the city. The protesters decided to celebrate this event and gathered on January 5 not far from the plant. Some took their children with them to this peaceful event. A child of one of those present built a snowman, and adults helped decorate it. However, the police decided that it was an unauthorized mass event and began the administrative process. The mother of the child who made the snowman will be judged on January 30th.
“Our children made a snowman, we helped decorate. After that, I was called to the police and drew up a protocol under Article 23.34 of the Administrative Code of the Republic of Belarus. The protocol says that there is a leaflet on the middle part of the snowman, and a sticker on the top. I think this is absurd. Now it will be interesting to see how all this will end in court”, – said the woman.
In other words, police officers believe that a small child and a snowman have become the main participants in an unauthorized mass event.
By the way, in social networks this incident caused a public outcry. Many users frankly make fun of the actions of law enforcement.
“This is even better than arresting an armless man who clapped. I hope the snowman was arrested”, – wrote one of the users.
“They condemned to public works - cleaning the territory, gave a broom in their hands”, – another user shows up and reinforces his words with a photo of a snowman.
In addition, journalists are also judged in Brest, who spread information about the actions of opponents of the battery factory. Thus, Alexander Levchuk and Milana Kharitonov were convicted of violating legislation on the mass media on January 25 for cooperation with the Belarusian TV channel.
They were accused of having interviewed residents of the city of Brest on Lenin’s central square on December 2 and 30, 2018, and some time later a video about this appeared on the website of the Belarusian TV channel Belsat.
Levchuk and Kharitonov had already been tried seven times, their total fine amounted to more than $ 6,700.
“4 protocols were drawn up for me and Milana Kharitonov. Each of our appearance on the square is a protocol, then a court and a large fine. Over the past feeding pigeons, we received $ 1,200 fine. The authorities are doing everything so that the media do not cover this topic. But on the contrary, my desire to deal with this topic is growing”, – said Alexander Levchuk.
The local authorities, in turn, refused to allow the residents of the city to hold a local referendum. At this referendum it was planned to consider the issue of building a battery factory. The acting chairman of the executive committee of the Brest region, Viktor Lukashevich, answered the activists that “the construction of a battery plant on the territory of the Brest region is important and crucial for the innovative development of the Republic of Belarus, that is, the state in general, and not a separate region. And it is included in the State Program of Innovative Development of the Republic of Belarus for 2016-2020, approved by the decree of the President of the Republic of Belarus of January 31, 2017 No. 31”.
However, local people do not lose hope. Human rights activist Roman Kislyak has already said that the initiative group on holding a referendum plans to appeal this decision in court.
“The authorities said that the construction of the plant is a matter of national importance. But when public hearings were held, the residents of Brest were not invited to them. When we asked them why, we were told that it was the competence of the executive committee of the Brest region. We see that the authorities interpret legislation in the way they are comfortable. Therefore, we are going to court”, – said Roman Kislyak.
It should be recalled that local residents protest from February 25, 2018. The most active participants of actions and bloggers supporting them are tracked down and arrested.
So why, in a democratic social state, are the authorities not listening to the cries for help of their citizens? And even more, the state is trying to close the mouth of the protesters and the media. Are Belarusians really free as described in the Constitution?
Authored by Belarus Insider
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I'm having a déjà vu here. Been there, suffered that.
This is the kind of government some freedom-fighters seem to defend. If there is a constitution, if there are free elections, if the governement says X... then it must be X.
This is the kind of story that must be put out there, in conjunction to so many others that evidence the importance of critical thinking and researching.
I would be unable to opine about Balarus becasue even though I have read plenty about Russian and Russian history, I don't live there or have inisders' intel. The events narrated here, though, match the history of abuse of power and violation of fundamental freedoms that has characterized Russia and any russia-influenced/controled territories (even if Lukashenko seems to be confronting Putin).
With a president who has been in office since 1994 and received Bolivar's sword from Chavez, many things can be speculated.
But again, we always need more info and reliable sources.
Non-interventionists, though, do not need anything. They will just say the right media is blowing this snowmen issue out of proportion, this is all fake new and ultimately we have to leave Belarusians solve their differences.
Easier said than done. We know about it.
Wish the Belarusian people strength and a happy ending to their oppressive state.
A totalitarian government tends to want to perpetuate its power. Every citizen who does good defiance through writing speeches and actions will be given handcuffs and silenced and stripped of all channels to express opinions, ideas and criticisms. The desire of the rulers that all people obey and obey so that they can do something to their hearts. However, if this is left unchecked it will become a trigger for the burning of the spirit of people power.
And usually people power begins with the student movement as an agent of change. it is these young scholars who will mobilize the consciousness of every citizen. My hope is that the situation will improve and can be resolved by deliberation so that the victims fall on all sides.
Thank you @belarus.insider
Thank you @adsactly
Thank you steemit
Warm regard from Indonesia
I fully share and support your article, your complaint, @Belarus. It is about defending, above all mediocrity and complicity, the inalienable right to free expression, to protest, to reunion. This is the basis of the rule of law of a true democracy; otherwise it is a big lie, a society that defines itself as democratic, but its practices condemn it as authoritarian and totalitarian. This is undoubtedly the case in Belarus, and in Venezuela, under the domination of oppressive, manipulative and hypocritical regimes.
Go ahead, and thank you for your brave post, @Belarus!, and @adsactly for spreading it.
This is the kind of madness and atrocities that totalitarian and petty governments do. Blaming a child? Jail his mother? Frighten the media? All this has happened in Venezuela! This is a scheme followed by all dictatorial governments! The detail is how doing all these things that go against democratic principles, the rest of the countries remain silent? On account of what one country passes over all the world conventions and norms in favor of human rights? I think there is a lot of complicity, a lot of convenient blindness, on the part of some powerful countries. Basically, the best thing is for each citizen to protest for what they believe, perhaps the time will come when the whole country will be imprisoned and there, yes, the other nations will open their eyes. Let us hope that by the time that time comes, it will not be too late. Excellent text. Thank you for sharing, @belarus and @adsactly for publishing.
I have been totally impressed, the crazy things that the desperate do to stay in power and be able to do what they want, without caring about the opinion of the people.
I will follow more closely the trial of the child's mother. this is total injustice.
Thanks @adsactly for this lovely post which is composed of various knowledge I hope your upcoming posts will be amazing thanks again @adsactly
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There is no worse punishment for a society than bad rulers, They are the cause of pain and the worst injustices, they see enemies where there are none, and they attack weak souls.
Great article.
oh man - one more time?)))btw I am from Belarus and what can I say - anyway,now it's better than in USSR. Not everything depends on the Power. People's qualities matter. What kind of people - such and power.
So - why don't they all just went abroad? Everything is so bad? Well - let's just leave this place.
And who is that guy @belarus? Look at his transactions - just all the fake accounts.